December 16, 2001

Once again, we couldn't attend the Anglican church. Father Hossam was stuck in Nablus, unable to cross. Finding this out was tricky business, too - our phones are unable to call anyone outside of Zababdeh, and the cellphone service in our building is horrendous. This also means frustration for a lot of our on-line work for the time being.

This morning Elizabeth stayed in bed with a sore throat, and Marthame attended the Latin Church, this the third Sunday in Advent.

Qurfe is the traditional beverage to celebrate a newborn.

We have no school until Wednesday, so we're taking advantage of that to pay many, many visits - not only to our Muslim friends (who are celebrating the 'Eid) but also to our Christian friends whom we never have time to visit. Our friend, who recently had a baby, offered us a traditional beverage called qurfe, made of walnuts, cinnamon, and sugar. It tastes great, and is warming in the wintertime; also, she tells us, it's good for post-natal mamas. We also heard several stories of woe, as the siege tightens around Zababdeh. The Israeli army has entered Tubas, Tayasir, and Tamoun (to the south), which means we cannot go East, West, North, or South. Tomorrow we were planning to go with Abuna Aktham to run various errands in Nazareth and Jerusalem, but it looks like we won't be going far.

We also got word that a close friend suffered a heart attack and had to be taken to the hospital in Jenin. It took several hours to get an ambulance to his house, then several hours to get to Jenin - six hours all told from the time he first fell ill for what is normally a fifteen minute drive. Jenin isn't exactly the center for heart specialists, so we hope he will be OK. The siege is making life unbearable for many - all for the benefit of an Apartheid regime. We are fortunate to have the outside support that we do.